Abstract
Although art viewing experiences occur in varied contexts, responses of audience may be profoundly affected by the presentation format. In this paper, focus is drawn upon participation in a digital paintings exhibition and visual representation in assessing the responses of male sex offenders to digital paintings that illustrate the consequences of sexual crimes. The relationship between arts and technology is an emerging area of interest in modern research. In addition to the traditional gallery displays, digital technologies have provided new ways of audience participation in arts, enabling more involvement in the way art is consumed. The authors sought to determine the effect of viewing screen projected images in Rapid Serial Visual Presentation and in a gallery display. The study applied brief repeated exposures as described in Mere Exposure research. The study utilized temporary exhibition displays and projection by Rapid Serial Visual Presentation (RSVP) where the respondents were passive participants, simply viewing the artwork. The participants were drawn from male sexual offenders aged 18-45 years at Nairobi West Prison, a male offenders’ facility in Nairobi City County. Stratified random sampling was used to select 61 male offenders convicted for defilement and rape. Respondents were randomly assigned to two experimental conditions involving viewing in projection by RSVP and gallery display. A five-point Likert scale was used to measure the participants’ responses to digital paintings illustrating consequences of sexual crimes. A Multivariate Analysis was used to assess ratings of the digital paintings against the various components of art. Findings show that painting style, colour schemes, themes and exposure frequency significantly influenced the participants’ responses to the digital paintings. The study recommends use of comparative analysis to determine how exposure to digital paintings impacts differently on other types of audiences.
Highlights
The way viewers engage with art has seen a dramatic shift owing to the growth and availability of information technologies
The aim of the study was to assess influence of presentation format on responses of male sexual offenders to digital paintings that illustrate the consequences of sexual crimes
In seeking to establish whether the formats of Exposure influenced the participants’ responses to the digital paintings, the study controlled for the participation by randomly selecting a section of the respondents to be exposed by viewing in a gallery display and by projection in Rapid Serial Visual Presentation
Summary
The way viewers engage with art has seen a dramatic shift owing to the growth and availability of information technologies. While the format of presentation might contribute to disparities in art experience, the topic remains underexplored. With the advent of digital recording equipment, artists are exploring digital technology as a new way of presenting art alongside the traditional gallery displays. While the dawn of the 21st century has seen rising interest in the effects of artistic engagements in prison systems Brewster (2014) and Gussack (2009), the responses of the prisoner audience to visual arts based on formats of presentation remains largely underexplored. While CohenMiller (2018) argued that recognizable symbols used in visual presentation turn out to be dependable recollections with the ability to change attitudes if viewers effectively consider the substance of the picture, the use of visual arts in prison setting in Kenya has been minimal. This research takes a different approach in investigating responses arising from presenting screen projected and gallery displayed canvas prints of digital paintings illustrating the consequences of sexual crimes
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